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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

What kind of leader does God expect me to be?

That is a question that I have been pondering for a while now. So here is what I have been shown:
God wants me to be a shepherd to his people, particularly to those he brings into our church; To protect them, teach them and model the Christian life in front of them; To hold them accountable with grace, and be accountable to them; to encourage them in love, to hold them up with the truth, and walk beside them in laughter and in tears.
  He wants me to equip his people to where they don't need me as much, and learn to lean on Him in all they do; to lead them to love sharing their faith with those who don't know Christ; to sacrifice my time, energy, and money to invest in them; to put on display what it means to live by faith even when things are at their darkest; to go to God with every issue and decision for His wisdom because he is unlimited and I am not; to shoot the wolves who try to deceive them.
Being the pastor that God has called me to be means it can't be about me. It has to be about his kingdom and his glory. My dreams mean nothing if not in accordance with his perfect will.
  Being teachable. A leader is not necessarily the smartest guy in the room nor does he have to be. I don't think God expects me to have all the answers, but He does expect me to point people to Him when my words are falling short. If you can't learn from others, and I mean your congregation, as well as books and others then you can't lead. Humility, one the toughest Christ Character Traits, is a must in order to be teachable.
 Being positive. I don't mean Pollyanna, but confident in the truth that God is sovereign and His love is not diminished by my circumstances.
Being holy. Not being corrupted by the world. That includes sexual impurity, money, popularity, or pride. I must lead the way in pursuing holiness.
Being passionate about the Word and prayer.
Holding to the vision God gives me and not wavering from it, and including everyone in that vision.

After typing all that I can see why God tells Joshua over and over to "Be strong and courageous." The great thing is "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to his own glory and excellence." 2 Peter 1:3

I must abide in Him or I, as a leader or follower, will bear no fruit.

1 comment:

  1. Bobby,
    You are our leader and you do demonstrate the traits you mentioned possibly without even noticing. A leader must have people who are willing to follow and I believe the best is yet to come.

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